Dreams and Sleep Cycle Essay

Dreaming is yet another state of consciousness. A dream is simply an unfolding episode of mental images that involve characters and events. Dreams usually tend to occur during REM sleep but can occur during NREM sleep as well. We dream on a variety of topics, subjects, and individuals. No dream can be exactly interpreted or defined, therefore people have always been fascinated with what, why, and how we dream. An unpleasant and almost terrifying type of dream is a nightmare. This is a very vivid, almost real

Why do we dream? What do our dreams mean? Dreams are a sequence of images, ideas, and feelings that involuntarily occur most commonly during the REM stage of sleep. They come in a wide variety of types, from the peculiar to the downright terrifying; the dreamer has no control over what they experience in their dreams. Though neurologists have been studying the human brain for decades, we still don’t fully know why we dream or what their significance is. Some psychologists theorize that dreams are closely linked to our subconscious mind, expressing our deepest fears or desires, allowing us to be what we cannot be. Others believe that dreams serve no function at all and are simply our imaginations running wild. In the words of Sigmund Freud, the founding father of psychoanalysis, “The dream is the liberation of the spirit from the pressure of external nature, a detachment of the soul from the fetters of matter.” (The Interpretation of Dreams)

There are many theories about why we dream, some say dreams have no meaning or purpose, others say dreams are required for emotional, physical and mental health. According to the activation- synthesis model of dreaming theory circuits in the brain become activated during the REM cycle, which causes areas in the limbic system involved in memories, emotions and sensations become activated (verywell.com/why-do-we-dream-top-dream-theories-2795931). Sigmund Freud’s theory on dreams suggested that dreams represented unconscious desires, thoughts and motivations (verywell.com/Freudian-theory-2795845). Though these thoughts are not consciously expressed, Freud suggested they make their way into awareness via dreams.

The first piece from the dream dictionary that stated that the dream might be in from inner conflict which would fall under the psychoanalysis theory being that the theory states that dream provide insight to desires, motives, and conflicts of which we're unaware. Secondly, by the dream dictionaries later definition, that dream could be indication of careless driving,

    Everybody dreams during his lifetime. It is a part of human nature that we experience almost everyday. Dreams can be lost memories, past events and even fantasies that we relive during our unconscious hours of the day. As we sleep at night, a new world shifts into focus that seems to erase the physical and moral reality of our own. It is an individual's free mind that is privately exposed, allowing a person to roam freely in his own universe. As we dream, it seems that we cannot distinguish right from wrong or normal from abnormal and, therefore, commit acts that we would not have done in a realistic society. Perhaps Lewis Carroll, author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland,

First, Freud claims that our dreams are an uncensored outlet for repressed wishes or desires. He states, “In these dreams we find the highly unusual condition realized of a dream-thought formed by a repressed wish entirely eluding censorship and passing into the dream without modification” (760). During the day while fully conscious the mind does not allow certain undesirable thoughts to be entertained but the sleep state allows for a genuine expression of a person’s deepest wishes despite being inappropriate.

When I was doing my research it was a little hard to find good sources that are centered on the science behind dreams. A lot of the information seemed to be pretty old and outdated. That was when I found the dreaming brain by J. Allan Hobson. This author takes a look at the

“The average person spends a total of about six years dreaming - 2 hours each night - although one third of our lives is spent sleeping” (“Dreams”). Everybody that goes to sleep, dreams. Dreams are a huge part of individuals because they experience dreaming every time they go to sleep. However, no one exactly knows what are dreams define. Even though people are aware of their dreams, they do not know when they dream. Dreams are emotions, thoughts, images, and sensations that happen while sleeping. They cannot be controlled, or so many people believe, so not anything that happens in your dreams are in people’s control. Scientists discovered that dreaming happens in rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep. Another thing about dreams is that

Dreams are very cryptic. Throughout the years, people have been hard pressed to figure out their meanings and how and when they even happen. Many scientists, normal people, and cultures have debated and researched when we can imagine such vivid pictures in our mind, even while we are asleep. Such a perplexing question, people couldn't wait to find the answer to when we have dreams. Thankfully in our modern day society, this question was able to be answered.

To many people, dreams are the thoughts that occur while sleeping, having almost mystic qualities. For millennia the significance of dreams has escaped even the brightest of philosophers and intellectuals. Many people have speculated about why people dream and what meanings the dreams have but in recent times two theories have gained credibility in answering those questions. The first theory is Sigmund Freuds and the other is known as the cognitive theory of dreams also known as biological determinism.

Why do we dream? Dreams are stories and images that our mind creates while we lie down peaceful where we recharge for the next day. These dreams can be fun, romantic, disturbing, frightening, sometimes bizarre, and entertaining. The question of why we dream, leads to many things. Dreams represent unconscious desires and wishes, they are also a way to interpret random signals from the brain and body during sleep. To dream is being able to consolidate and process information gathered during the day. Dreams can be described as a universal human experience that can be in the form of consciousness characterized by cognitive, sensory, and emotional occurrences during sleep. As the dreamer, the control we have over the dream is very limited. Being a dream analyzer is an occupation I find intriguing, every image and

Dreams, we all have them at one time or another, and in one form or another. They can be daydreams, when we're awake, wishing and hoping for something more (bigger and better) than we already have, or the way we hope things should and would be. Next there is the wish, this is when there is a strong desire for a specific thing, a longing for one particular thing. Then there is the nightmare. They are the dreams that are very disturbing, full of fear and horror. They are often a very scary event played out while one is asleep, although we do not know we are asleep. "Dreams are a sequence of images etc. passing through a sleeping persons mind" (Webster's 182). Because dreams are often complex and very vivid, many

Dreams can often be mysterious and quite questionable at times. It can leave us wondering what a particular dream means to the dreamer, and we can argue about what causes dreams in the first place. Science can explain how dreams are related to brain functioning, but only a psychological understanding of the unconscious can explain why a dream happens at a particular time of your life and what it means psychologically. So what exactly are dreams? Strictly speaking, dreams are a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a persons mind during sleep. This can include people you know, people you have never met, places you’ve been, or places you’ve never heard of. Sometimes they can even be your deepest, darkest fears and secrets, and most private fantasies. There’s really no limit to what the mind can experience during a dream and no reason to what you end up dreaming about.

Dreams can be characterized as "a cognizant arrangement of pictures that happen amid rest" (Collier 's, vol. 8). Dreams are normally exceptionally clear in shading and symbolism. They uncover to the visionary distinctive wishes, concerns, and stresses that he or she has. Dreams for the most part mirror all aspects of who the visionary is. The substance of the individual 's fantasy is generally made up as indicated by how old the visionary is and how they are taught. Dreams are not arranged out or

Each night without fail our eyes grow heavy and our minds tired, and dreaming we drag ourselves to bed and normally fall asleep quickly and peacefully off to dream land we go.